Yellow lines in place by Leighton Buzzard school but enforcement stalls over belated consultation on safety changes

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Euan Duncan

Published:16:45Friday 07 June 2019

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Parking enforcement action is needed by a Leighton Buzzard school once the details of a traffic scheme for the area have been legally approved, a meeting heard.

Work was done on the highways project, near Greenleas Lower School, only for Central Bedfordshire Council to realise the changes had not been fully advertised.

Greenleas School in Kestrel Way

Traffic orders, such as introducing no waiting restrictions with yellow lines, have to be fully consulted on by law, including adverts placed in local newspapers.

After the development of the new school in Kestrel Way, concerns were raised about parking, accessibility for buses and general safety in a busy area, according to a report to CBC’s traffic management meeting.

“The scheme in its entirety aimed to make the general area close to the school safer,” said the report.

“Areas where parking was inconsiderate, causing danger to vulnerable road users and limiting the flow of traffic at school times, were to be addressed by limited waiting restrictions and junction protection,” it added.

“An area directly outside the school in Kestrel Way was left free from restrictions as it was considered some parking provision should remain.”

Only once a traffic regulation order is made can any parking restrictions be enforced.

“The proposals retrospectively advertised here are to work with raised tables in Kestrel Way and Johnson Drive in Leighton Buzzard,” said the council’s area technician highways Charlotte Dunham.

“We realised the statutory consultation had not taken place for the double yellow lines and single yellow lines in the vicinity of the lower school in Kestrel Way.

“We installed them on site and then we had to retrospectively advertise them.

“Unfortunately this is not the correct process, but to save abortive costs we have installed them and done the consultation afterwards.

“The idea of that was if we got any major comments we would look to reduce the lines as part of the consultation,” she explained.